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BUSINESS
Jun 13, 2003

Japan Net Bank ordered to address computer glitches

Japan Net Bank was ordered Thursday to implement measures aimed at halting computer glitches and to improve its handling of computer-system malfunctions.
EDITORIALS
Jun 12, 2003

Preparing for the worst

Japan's efforts to update its security legislation reached a milestone last week when an overwhelming Diet majority passed three defense bills designed to deal with a military attack from abroad. The vote -- 202 in favor and 32 against -- would have been inconceivable during the Cold War. It is proof...
SOCCER / PREMIER REPORT
Jun 7, 2003

England still too selfish about international calendar

LONDON -- On the day England captain David Beckham made a televised plea to England supporters to behave at last Tuesday's friendly against Serbia and Montenegro and the Euro 2004 qualifying tie against Slovakia next Wednesday, UEFA rewarded Manchester City with a place in Europe for 2003-2004 as England...
COMMENTARY
Jun 6, 2003

Force restructuring anxiety

SINGAPORE -- There was a time when the Pentagon saw "relieving regional anxiety" as one of its primary alliance maintenance tasks in East Asia. Today, it seems more adept at creating this anxiety, rather than providing the reassurance that lies at the heart of sustaining America's critical alliances...
JAPAN
Jun 5, 2003

Reactor repairs deemed unnecessary

The Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency said Wednesday that cracks in a steel reactor shroud at the Hamaoka nuclear plant in Shizuoka Prefecture do not require immediate repairs.
JAPAN
Jun 5, 2003

Reactor repairs deemed unnecessary

The Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency said Wednesday that cracks in a steel reactor shroud at the Hamaoka nuclear plant in Shizuoka Prefecture do not require immediate repairs.
JAPAN
Jun 5, 2003

Reactor repairs deemed unnecessary

The Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency said Wednesday that cracks in a steel reactor shroud at the Hamaoka nuclear plant in Shizuoka Prefecture do not require immediate repairs.
JAPAN
Jun 3, 2003

Drivers fear revenue shift may spur local crackdowns

Nearly eight out of 10 drivers object to the idea of allowing local authorities to keep traffic penalties they collect as local revenue, fearing the system would encourage crackdowns on traffic violations, the National Police Agency said Thursday.
COMMENTARY
May 29, 2003

Change hasn't halted decline

LONDON -- I was invited recently to Japan to speak to two Japanese audiences about the Japanese economy as seen from London and what should be done to ensure Japanese economic recovery. I prepared a speech that was pessimistic. This was inevitable as British reporting on the Japanese economy is full...
Japan Times
BUSINESS / FRONT-RUNNERS
May 27, 2003

Toilet manufacturer plucks success from depths of despair

Failure is but a stepping stone to success. The proverb rang dramatically true in the process of developing a new product at Toto Ltd., the major toilet manufacturer based in Fukuoka Prefecture.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
May 18, 2003

Battleground Japan: crows, N. Korea and corporate rents

TV Tokyo's weekly financial documentary series, "The Dawn of Gaia," moves from Sunday to Tuesday this week with a special program about "The 2003 Problem" (May 20, 10 p.m.).
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
May 17, 2003

New broom sweeps Seisen into the 21st century

Virginia Villegas was delighted to be asked to return to Japan last year to assist the then head of Seisen International School in Yoga, Tokyo. "When Sister Concesa Martin was elected to the General Council in Rome, I was asked to take over as headmistress," she explains, warm, direct and very perceptive....
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
May 8, 2003

O-soji: the way of the Japanese housewife

A lot of things baffled when I attended a Japanese school for the first time at the age of 14. Lot's of things baffled me, but the custom of soji -- or cleaning -- of the classroom and school buildings everyday after the last bell, seemed outrageous.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / WILD WATCH
May 1, 2003

Feathered friends of the forest

In a passive way, plants have got birds sussed. They use them, abuse them (ever seen a thrush drunk on fermenting apples?) and mess with their digestive systems. Birds are willing pawns, though; brightly colored flowers and gaudy berries send a simple signal to the bird brain that shouts -- energy! ...
COMMENTARY
Apr 28, 2003

Mixed marks for the Iraq war

LONDON -- The removal of the evil despotism of Saddam Hussein in Iraq is an important benefit for the peoples of Iraq and the world in general. The ending of his regime will be welcomed by some neighboring countries that felt threatened by Iraq. It should in the long run be beneficial to the Arabs as...
JAPAN
Apr 16, 2003

Divisions over Iraq offensive dominate Japan-Europe forum

ATHENS -- The rift between the United States and "Old Europe" over the Iraq war was the biggest cause for concern among Japanese participants at a Japan-Europe symposium held here recently.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 11, 2003

Fukui race boils down to reactor factor

TAKAHAMA, Fukui Pref. -- Like many of her fellow shopkeepers in this small town along the Sea of Japan coast, Tomoko Kurahashi is ambivalent about the candidates for Fukui governor.
Japan Times
JAPAN / INTERNATIONAL RATIONALE
Apr 9, 2003

Domestic firms missing out on slice of medical device market

Dr. Kiyoshi Namba is a hard-core believer in medical technology. A breast cancer specialist, Namba has invested heavily in state-of-the-art medical equipment at his two clinics in Miyazaki Prefecture, claiming this provides exactly what he needs to counter the killer disease -- the earliest detection...
JAPAN
Apr 5, 2003

Infrastructure spending to target priority sectors

With the nation's population rapidly aging and social security costs ballooning, the government must invest its limited financial resources into priority areas in its social infrastructure-building efforts, the Land, Infrastructure and Transport Ministry said in a report released Friday.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 22, 2003

ASEAN counting on China

SINGAPORE -- As the third generation of Chinese leaders since 1949 hands power over to the fourth, Southeast Asia and the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations are following the landmark political transition with keen interest. What does ASEAN expect from the transition?
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Mar 8, 2003

Hitachi may sell HQ and rent office space

Hitachi Ltd. said Friday it is considering selling its headquarters building in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward and renting space in a nearby building.
COMMENTARY
Mar 8, 2003

Japan's oil diplomacy is dead

LOS ANGELES -- Since September 2001, Tokyo has come a long way toward redefining its international security interests. One significant result of this is that should any American hostages be taken in the war with Iraq or anywhere else in the Middle East, the Japanese are not likely to be indifferent to...
JAPAN
Mar 4, 2003

Spring wage talks going the way of the dinosaur?

The curtain has fallen on the "shunto" wage hike negotiations that unions have conducted every spring for almost half a century amid the nation's deflationary downturn and fierce international competition.
JAPAN
Mar 1, 2003

Hello Work job centers a hotbed of false listings

An increasing number of bogus job listings and unscrupulous employers are exploiting the government-run Hello Work job centers as high unemployment continues to grip the country.
COMMENTARY
Feb 26, 2003

Trans-Atlantic arrogance defeats unity

LONDON -- One of the most depressing features of the past few weeks has been the arrogance displayed by political leaders. With some leaders, power goes to their heads. They are surrounded by sycophantic underlings and protected by posses of security guards. The media are bludgeoned by press offices...
JAPAN
Feb 24, 2003

New Narita operator to be quieter, greener

The proposed new operator of Narita airport may be faced with strict measures for environmental conservation and noise reduction.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Feb 23, 2003

Taisho treasure

Tokyo is in the throes of a particularly bold face-lift. In the cause of urban regeneration, massive high-rises are shooting up in Shinagawa, Shinbashi, Roppongi and Shinjuku, transforming the skyline of metropolitan Tokyo. On the ground, wrecking trucks clear more land, demolishing old homes and felling...
JAPAN
Feb 19, 2003

Agency admits errors in reactor inspections

The government's nuclear inspections agency admitted Tuesday it failed to identify cracks in the core shroud of the Hamaoka No. 4 reactor operated by Chubu Electric Power Co., even though it detected telltale signs in 2001.

Longform

A small shrine perched atop rocks braves the waves hitting the shoreline during a storm in Shimoda, Shizuoka Prefecture. The area is under threat of a possible 31-meter-high tsunami if an earthquake strikes the nearby Nankai Trough.
If the 'Big One' hits, this city could face a 31-meter-high tsunami